Thill-coupling



(No Modemv 2 Sheets-Sheet 1, C. S. BAILEY & W. P. SHEETS.

A THILL COUPLING.

PatentedApr. 5, 1887'.

Wit/name@ N. PETERS. PhuwLUwgmpher, Washington, D. C.

(NoMoael.) 2 sheets-Sheng.

C. S. BAILEY 8v W. P. SHEETS.

y THILL COUPLING. Y No. 360,754. Patented Apr. 5, 1887.

vw-ento a( UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. BAILEY AND VILLIAM P. SHEETS, OF PRINCETON, MISSOURI.

vTHILL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 360,754, dated April 5, 1887. Application filed December A17S, 1886. Serial No. 222,004. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: Y

Be it known that we, CHARLES S. BAILEY and WILLIAM P. SHEETS, citizens of the United States, residing at Princeton, in the county of Mercer and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Thill-Gouplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making a part ofY this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan View of a lthill-coupling with our improvements attached. Eig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the pivoted side raised to release the thill. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section. Eig. 5 is a perspective view of the clip with its operative mechanism removed. Fig. 6 are details, to be referred to.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our improved thill-coupling, we will proceed to describe the exact manner in which We have carried it out. x

In the drawings, A represents the axle; a, the clip, and a the end of the thill to be coupled to the vehicle. The clip is made in a single piece,as usual,and integral therewith is formed the compartment B, (see Fig. 4,) for holding the operative mechanism, as will be hereinafter described. Y

On the full side of the compartment B is a stationary bolt, b, which passes through the eye of the thill. Heretofore this pin or coupling-bolt has been a separate piece, and in order to make a shift from a pole to a shaft the bolt had to be taken out and thenl returned to position. By our construction we avoid any handling of the coupling-bolt.

Through the rear of the compartment B, and having bearings on each side, we place a camshaft, b, having one end prolonged, so as to receive and pivotally hold the side latch, C. This latch is rigidly secured to the cam-shaft, so that the cam may be operated by the raising or lowering of the latch.

The purpose of the latch is down and locked inlposition, the

rubber packing is pressed forward by the cam; but when the latch is raised the cam is thrown up and the packing is relieved. We claim nothing new in this arrangement of a cam and the rubber packing; but heretofore the cam has been operated by a lever which formed a guard, held up in position by the backward pressure of the rubber packing, as the -pack` ing was liable to wear and allow the lever to drop from position and allow the thill to become detached. One object of our invention is to overcome this difficulty by having the latch C to operate the cam, and which is provided With theeye c, which passes down through a slot, c', in the bottom of the compartment B,

where it is automatically caught and held by a spring-catch, D.

It is evident from this description of ourinvention that when the latch C is raised the thill or shafts are readily slipped on or off the fixed bolt b, and by dropping the latch C the thill is securely held in position by a positive power, and not in the least dependent on-the elastic pressure of the rubber packing.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An improved thill-coupling, comprising the combination ofthe clip a, having the compartment B, a cushion within said compartment, the bolt Z), the pivoted latch C, forming one of the side walls of the compartment and having the perforated plate c, and a spring-actuated latch having a hooked end for engaging the perforation in said latch, as herein described.

CHARLES S. BAILEY. WILLIAM l?. SHEETS.

Witnesses:

J. A. THOMPSON, P. STACY. 

